Cerebellar neuronal activity correlates with spike and wave EEG patterns in the rat

In this study we investigated the involvement of the cerebellum in high voltage spike-and-wave spindles, a rodent model of petit mal epilepsy. High voltage spindles, recorded epidurally from the sensorimotor neocortex, were correlated with single or multiple unit activity in the cerebellar cortex and deep cerebellar nuclei. The majority of neurons or neuronal groups in the cerebellum (77.9%) fired rhythmically and phase-locked with the high voltage spindles, either during the spike (43.2%; n = 41) or during the wave (34.7%; n = 33) component of the high voltage spindle. Tremor of the head and neck musculature, recorded with an accelero-meter, occurred during the high voltage spindle in approximately half of the rats. When present, rhythmic movement occurred predominantly during the wave phase of the high voltage spindle. The remaining half of the rats did not show tremor during high voltage spindles but, nevertheless, had cerebellar units that burst during the spike or wave phase of the high voltage spindle. These latter results demonstrate that phase-locked bursting of cerebellar units during high voltage spindle is independent of rhythmic movement. The findings suggest that rhythmic output from the cerebellum may contribute to the maintenance of generalized petit mal seizures.